There is an old story about Ole the farmer. When Ole quit farming and moved, he discovered he was the only Lutheran in his new town of all Catholics. That was okay, but the neighbors had a problem with his barbecuing beef every Friday. They were not allowed to eat red meat on Fridays, but the tempting aroma was getting the best of them. Beside themselves, they got together and confronted Ole. “Ole,” they said, “since you are the only Lutheran in this whole town and there’s not a Lutheran church for many miles, we think you should join our church and become a Catholic.” Ole thought about it for a minute and decided they were right. Ole talked to the priest, and they arranged it. The big day came, and the priest had Ole kneel. He put his hand on Ole’s head and said, “Ole, you were born a Lutheran, you were raised a Lutheran, and now,” he said as he sprinkled some incense over Ole’s head, “you are a Catholic!” Both Ole and the neighbors were happy. But the following Friday evening, the aroma of grilled beef still wafted from Ole’s yard. The neighbors went to talk to him about this, and as they approached the fence they heard Ole saying something strangely familiar to the steak: “You were born a beef, you were raised a beef, and now” he said as he sprinkled salt over the meat, “you are a fish!”

In this article, we want to look at baptism.  What is the big deal, and why it is essential to advancing the mission of making disciples. Let’s do that by examining a story in the book of Acts regarding the Ethiopian Eunuch.  

Philip obeys the command to go.   

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”… The Spirit told Philip, Go to that chariot and stay near it.” Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.  

Acts 8:26, 29-30

This is a strange direction for him to head…Like one of those towns you go through on your vacation destination where you’re driving down the road and the speed limit is 55mph and all of the sudden it changes to 25mph, and there’s 9 police cars hiding behind a sign… and you can just tell it would make their day to write you a ticket. This road would have been about a 60 mile trip. Even more, it was a traditional area of the Philistines.  They were the most hated people by the Jews. (Remember David and Goliath? Goliath was a Philistine.) This is an encouraging example that as the church matures, the Spirit presses them to go to areas where they are less comfortable.

Phillip encounters a far off gentile.   

So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch , an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship… 

Acts 8:27

There are a three things which make him unusual:

First, he is from the furthest borders of what people in Israel knew, Ethiopia. That is like Timbuktu. The Ethiopian Eunuch traveled about 1000 miles by chariot. Those from Ethiopia worshipped things like the sun, various animals, idols. But maybe this guy had the sense that there was more out there, there is someone larger than the sun and the animals, a God behind it all.    

Second, he is a powerful man.  He was the treasurer for a powerful nation.  This chariot was quite a ride.  He is chauffeured and he would have this entourage with him. 

Third, he is a eunuch.  If you were going to work in the palace with the queen, they wanted to make sure you didn’t get any bright ideas with the ladies of the court. So they took care of that.

According to Deuteronomy 23:1 he can’t even enter the Temple. He would have fit the profile of those worshiping at the Temple: pagan, powerful, eunuch. (The Temple bouncers kept him out.) Yet, just because he has had this bad experience, he still continues to seek.  (Purchases this           scroll with Isaiah, a book written 700 years previously.)     

…and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

Acts 8:28-29

Phillip proclaims the message of grace.

30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. 31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:

“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
    and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. (Who has just been humiliated?) 
    Who can speak of his descendants?
    For his life was taken from the earth.” (Who has no descendants?)  

34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?”       

 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 

Acts 8:30-36, 38

Answers to Questions  

What is baptism?  Immersion

We read above, “They went down into the water…“  Baptism in the Greek, “baptizo,” was not a religious term.  It means simply to dunk or place thoroughly in water, like dunk tank. It was often expressed of a sunken ship. It means to put under.  Every case where a baptism is performed in the Bible it is done by immersion–the placing of the whole body in water. 

But the meaning is interwoven with the method. I do not feel I am righteous enough.  The whole point of baptism is your declaration that Christ alone is my righteousness. (I don’t trust my best 15 minutes to get me to heaven.)      

What is the big deal about baptism?  It begins discipleship. 

There are two mistakes made regarding baptism.  One mistake is to say that if you don’t get baptized you can’t go to heaven.  You don’t enter into a Father/child relationship with God. That is not true.  Two chapters later a guy named Cornelius comes to faith in Christ.  He receives the Holy Spirit and has a spiritual birth experience. After that he is baptized.

Then Peter said, “Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

Acts 10:47-48

The other mistake is to say that since baptism does not save you, it is not really important.  Think about this. How did Jesus begin His ministry?  He was baptized.  He took a 60 mile trip by foot from his hometown to the desert of Judea. He did not do this because it was convenient, but because it was necessary to obedience.  What is the last thing He told His disciples to do?  Baptize in the name of Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19) So Jesus emphasized it.  What he emphasized, we dare not minimize.  

Who are you to say God’s first command to you is not that important? If you won’t obey God in this one small step, why do you think you’ll obey God in the other areas of your life? That’s like telling your spouse on your wedding night you’re going to go out with some old friends to a club. Not the way to start your marriage. The way to start your walk with Jesus is not by postponing what he’s clearly told you to do.  

When Jesus healed He called for an external expression of faith. 

• “Stretch out your withered hand”

• “wash in the pool” 

• “take up your mat and walk”

• “go show yourself to the priest”  

Every impression that does not have an expression leads to depression.  If you find something humorous you laugh.  If you find something sorrowful you cry.  If you find something pleasant you smile.  An important process of our spiritual growth is that we have a proper external response to what God is doing inwardly through faith.

 When am I ready for baptism? When you have saving faith.  

I’ve often heard, baptism is something you can’t rush.  It is something you have to be ready for.  So, maybe you will be ready in a year, five years, or ten years.  What determines if you are ready?  If you are trusting Christ to take your soul into eternity, you are ready to trust Him to take your body in the baptistery waters.  Further, do we do take the same attitude or approach with communion? No. I never hear people who have come to faith in Christ say, “I am just not ready to start taking the communion elements.” I am glad we do not. Yet, too often we take that approach with baptism.  

What about children? The age of eight.

My practice has been not to baptize a child until the age of eight. To be baptized you do not have to fully comprehend baptism, but you have to sufficiently comprehend it.  However, I have made exceptions as I rely on the judgement of the parent.  

You say, “I was baptized as a baby.” Great!  But baptism is presented in the Bible as your own profession of faith. When you were baptized as a baby, that was a statement of your parents’ faith and thank God for that. But now it is time to ratify their decision and declare your own faith in Jesus.  There is no dishonor.  It is making your faith your own.

It’s often referred to as one of the most momentous or special times in the life of a believer. Whether it is done in a lake around a small group of friends and family or in a baptismal as the whole Sunday congregation watches on, it is an event followed by many congratulations, cheers, and hugs. Baptism is a central doctrine and practice in every denomination of Christianity. We have probably heard that we are to “repent and be baptized.”

So what’s the big deal? Why is baptism as important as everyone seems to think it is? Today, we are going to unpack all of that.

Why Baptize?

³ Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. ¹⁴ But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

¹⁵ Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

¹⁶ As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Matthew 3:13-17

Right here, we see Jesus, who was and is God in the flesh, choosing to be baptized. Now, this is a theologically rich passage, and its implications are many, so much so that we could right several articles off of it.

However, for the purposes of our topic today, what we need to know is that this passage shows Jesus affirming the practice of baptism. If Christ himself was baptized, that goes a long way in validating its legitimacy, doesn’t it?

If there is any doubt left as to whether this is an important practice, scripture goes on to cast them away.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:19-20

What you just read is the Great Commission. These were the final words Jesus Christ gave to his disciples before he returned to the Father. You might call it the command on which the Christian Church was built and the mission statement of the Church today. Let’s break it down.

Jesus said to “make disciples of all nations.” Hopefully, we can all recognize the importance of this. This is, in large part, why God gave us our unique gifting—it was for the saving of souls! The urgency of making disciples is likely engrained in just about any church you visit, with their mission statement being some variation of the Great Commission.

However, there is more. Jesus didn’t end it there. He goes on to say that part of disciplemaking is baptizing the disciples we make “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Baptism is part of the Great Commission too. It naturally springs forth from discipleship.

In short, then, we baptize and are baptized because Christ himself affirmed it and commands it of his followers.

That raises a whole new set of questions, though. Why does Christ command us to be baptized? What is the significance of having someone dip us underwater in the name of Christ? Glad you asked.

The Meaning Behind Baptism?

In a nutshell, baptism is an outward sign of an inward change. The act of baptism, which is being submerged under the water and then reemerging from beneath the surface, is a physical representation of this passage from Paul:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 

2 Corinthians 5:17

Baptism symbolizes dying to our old, sinful, dysfunctional nature and emerging as a regenerated believer in Christ. Just as Christ died for us and was resurrected into a new and glorious body three days later, we die to ourselves when we follow him and rise again as a new creation. Baptism is a powerful picture of this—a powerful picture of us identifying with Christ’s sacrifice and consequently being made anew.

Just look at what Paul has to say in another of his epistles!

 In him [Jesus] you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. ¹³ When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ.”

Colossians 2:11-13

Who Should Be Baptized?

This is where things can get controversial. There are some who say only believers who have voluntarily accepted Christ and understand the meaning of doing so should be baptized, and there are some who claim that infants should be baptized soon after birth, as they think baptism is necessary for salvation.

The writer of this article will take the position that only those who have made the volitional, conscious choice to follow Jesus should be baptized, meaning infant baptism is not necessary or even biblical. Do not get it twisted—everyone should be baptized. Jesus commanded it. We should simply wait until the believer understands what they are doing and why they are doing it before baptizing them.

There is scriptural precedent for this.

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:38

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Acts 2:41

Here, we see believers called to repentance (i.e. placing their faith in Christ’s sacrifice to cover their sins) and then baptism. You will notice in verse forty-one it says “those who received his word” were the ones who were baptized; these were people who were receptive to Peter’s proclamation of the Gospel.

There is simply nowhere in scripture that prescribes infant baptism, and it would be theologically flawed to conclude it is necessary for salvation, as that would mean the saving grace of Christ would not be enough for salvation.

How Should We Baptize?

The question of how we should physically baptize someone refers to what mode of baptism we should use. The three modes of baptism most commonly used are immersion, pouring, and sprinkling. These are fairly self-explanatory. Immersion involves fully submerging someone underwater, pouring involves (you guessed it!) pouring water over someone, and sprinkling is, well, sprinkling water on someone’s head.

There has long been disagreement over what mode of baptism is the biblical or “correct” mode. I would posit the correct mode of baptism is immersion, and there is plenty of biblical evidence supporting this.

Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized.

John 3:23

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water.

Matthew 3:16

As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” ³⁸ And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.

Acts 8:36-38

These excerpts yield a few notable takeaways pointing to baptism via full immersion under the water. In the first passage, John the Baptist is baptizing at Aenon, and the reason he chose that location is the abundance of water there. If baptism were only an act of pouring or sprinkling, such an excess of water would not be necessary.

The second passage describes Christ’s baptism, and the wording tells us he was baptized via immersion, as it says he “went up out of the water.” If this is the way Christ opted to be baptized, then we should pay attention to that.

Finally, the passage from Acts tells of Philip baptizing a new believer, and they go “down into the water.” Again, the wording here appears to indicate immersion baptism.

What Now?

Appreciate Biblical Baptism

We should treat the topic of baptism with the weight and importance it deserves. It isn’t something to be flippant about. It is one of the two ordinances Christ left the Church, with the other being communion.

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, and you have yet to be baptized, why wait? Find a way to get baptized by immersion as soon as possible! Publicly proclaim your death to sin and life in Christ. This is not something to put off.

Furthermore, if you are currently discipling anyone who is a new follower of Christ and is yet to be baptized, pray about having a conversation regarding the topic with them. Jesus told us to make disciples—and then he told us to baptize!

Keep Baptism in the Correct Place

We do not want to overemphasize or underemphasize baptism, and it is quite possible to do both. On one hand, if you have a friend or relative in the Lord who dies and you know they were not baptized, it is both unproductive and unnecessary to fear for their salvation. That is inflating baptism’s purpose and importance.

On the other hand, just because baptism is not necessary for salvation does not mean it is not sacred and vital. If you are a believer, you should be baptized. To not do so is to disobey Christ and miss out on an opportunity to honor your savior. Baptism is essential to living a life in complete surrender to Jesus.